败 (bài) is a Chinese character meaning “to be defeated”. It is written from 贝 (shell) and 攵 (a hand holding a stick; marks an action done to something), side by side, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “to be defeated”
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Structure
贝 + 攵
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字：敗，毀也。从攴、貝
Memory aid
A cowrie shell (贝) — old Chinese money — and a hand swinging a stick (攵). Something valuable is being smashed: that is a defeat.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 失败shī bàito fail; failure; defeat败 = bài
- 打败dǎ bàito defeat; to beat败 = bài
Go deeper
All readings
to be defeated
to be defeated; to lose; to defeat; to fail; to spoil
在较量中输掉；也指使对方失败，或事情没有成功。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 失败shī bàito fail; failure; defeat败 = bài
- 打败dǎ bàito defeat; to beat败 = bài
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 败 mean?
败 (bài) means to be defeated; to lose; to defeat; to fail; to spoil.
How do you pronounce 败?
It is pronounced bài.
What parts is 败 made of?
贝 (shell) and 攵 (a hand holding a stick; marks an action done to something), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字：敗，毀也。从攴、貝. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 败 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 败?
贝. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 败?
Common ones are 失败 and 打败. The reading of 败 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.